Synopsis of the seminar “Astronomy for children: how to turn scientific facts into interesting games? What are the benefits of astronomy for children.
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About edition
Olga Shibka
FROM THE DEPTH OF AGES
WHAT ASTRONOMY STUDIES
Astronomy is the science that studies everything in the universe. New information about the Universe is obtained, including during astronomical observations.
Astronomical observations are carried out in observatories. An observatory is a special place or structure where devices are installed, with the help of which scientists study stars, planets and other cosmic bodies. The word "observatory" is translated from English as "observation". Astronomers work in observatories - they are scientists who study the Universe and its laws. The common part in the words "astronomy", "astronomer" - "astro", translated into Russian means a star.
One of the oldest human-built observatories is Stonehenge, located in England. The huge boulders of Stonehenge are stacked so that it is possible to accurately observe the movement of the Sun during the spring and autumn equinoxes.
The ancient inhabitants of Babylon, Egypt and Central America used pyramids as observatories. Their bases are oriented to the cardinal points. Astronomical observations in the ancient world were carried out in order to find out more precisely the time of the beginning of spring or winter. Based on astronomical observations, the priests compiled calendars. Ancient navigators could determine their location using astronomical observations.
In the Middle Ages, in all countries of the world, the observatory was considered a sign of the education and wealth of the royal court. The most famous astronomers of the Middle Ages worked in the service of khans, dukes and kings.
Astronomers observe celestial bodies using a special instrument called a telescope. This word comes from the Greek words for "far away" and "looking."
The telescope enlarges the image of a distant planet, as if bringing it closer to the eye of an astronomer. The first telescope was built by the Italian Galileo Galilei 400 years ago.
Astronomical observations are usually carried out at night. To conduct them, it is necessary that at a great distance around the observatory it is dark, for example, there are no lights of a large city. Then even very faint and distant celestial objects can be seen through a telescope.
Modern observatories are built high in the mountains, far from inhabited areas. Before building a new observatory, astronomers observe the astroclimate for a long time - this is the name for the combination of weather and climatic conditions suitable for the operation of the observatory. It is desirable that there are as many clear nights as possible in the selected area throughout the year.
Telescopes in observatories are housed in special houses. Sophisticated mechanisms controlled by computers allow even a large and heavy telescope to be easily pointed to any point in the sky.
The best pictures of the starry sky are obtained with those telescopes above which there is the thinnest layer of the Earth's air envelope - the atmosphere. Therefore, the observatory is also outside the atmosphere - these are automatic space stations. Such a telescope, of course, is no longer located in a house, but in a special spacecraft. Sometimes space observations are carried out by astronauts who work on the International Space Station.
1. Why is it impossible to build an observatory in the very wilderness of a dark forest? (The branches of the trees will block the sky from the observer.)
2. What other words, besides the word telescope, do you know with a particle "tele-"? (telephone, TV, TV movie).
3. Draw a picture of a telescope house. Why can't a lantern be lit above the entrance to this house? (The lantern with its light will prevent astronomers from observing the stars, because the light of the stars is weaker than the light of the lantern.)
Guess the riddles:
There is a round house on a hill,
The light in it is not visible at night.
Behind a swarm of stars at midnight
The tireless eye follows.
(Observatory)
You can look into it without difficulty
Distant forest and cities
Planets, stars, heaven's edge
And many other miracles.
(Telescope)
The stars are all countless
The wise knows ...
(Astrologer)
HOW ASTRONOMY APPEARED
In our time, people have less and less opportunity to look closely at the firmament. There are fewer and fewer places on Earth where the bright light of night cities would not interfere with seeing the stars. And in ancient times, the heavenly bodies were as much a part of a person's daily life as domestic animals, as forests and fields. Indeed, in those days, the sky was for people and a calendar, and a compass, and a clock.
In different countries and at different times, people came to the same conclusion: in order to properly plan, for example, the time of sowing or the beginning of the hunt, you need to remember some signs that will help determine the right moment in time for this. These signs most often became the phases of the moon and the appearance of bright stars in the sky. Gradually, knowledge about how to measure time began to accumulate, and the first calendars appeared. The word "calendar" comes from the Latin word "calare" - to shout out. The movement of the luminaries in ancient Rome, as in other countries of the ancient world, was followed by priests. The high priest had to loudly shout the news of the arrival of the first day of each month.
In ancient Egypt, people's lives depended on the flooding of the Nile River. This river flooded the fields for several weeks, irrigating them and leaving silt on them, which fertilized the land well. It was noticed long ago that the waters of the Nile begin to arrive in the middle of summer, simultaneously with the appearance of the brightest star in the morning sky - Sirius from the constellation Canis Major. All work related to the cultivation of fields stopped and began a "vacation" - a time that later received its name from the Latin name of the star Sirius. The Romans called this star Canicula, which translates as "doggy".
And so it happened that the need to predict the change of seasons and the onset of seasons led to the birth of astronomical observations and the emergence of the science of astronomy.
Astrological priests not only compiled the first calendars, but also looked for ways to measure time in intervals shorter than a year. The beginning and end of the day were determined by the rising and setting of the sun. Although very soon it became clear that in summer and winter the day has a different duration. In winter, the Sun spends less time over the horizon and on December 21 or 22, the winter solstice comes - the longest night of the year happens. In summer, June 21 or 22, the night is the shortest, and the daylight hours are the longest, this is the summer solstice. Twice a year, September 21 or 22 and March 21 or 22, day and night have the same duration. Astronomers call these days the autumn and spring equinox. Many peoples in ancient times began the countdown of the days of the new year from the day of the vernal equinox. In Russia, Tsar Peter I canceled the tradition of celebrating the New Year on the day of the vernal equinox.
For a very long time, the passage of time was measured by the change of lunar phases. Gradually, people came up with the idea that the day can be divided into equal intervals of time - hours. The simplest instruments for measuring time appeared.
When the first travelers set out through the desert, it turned out that it was much easier to find the final destination of the journey if there were reliable landmarks. The first seafarers came to the same conclusion. Bright stars have become such landmarks. Ancient astronomers made the first maps of the starry sky, giving names to stars and constellations, putting them on celestial maps and describing their relative position.
Gradually it became clear that astronomy can provide answers to many questions of everyday life and solve many mysteries of the universe, can help a person determine his place in the Universe. The longer and more attentively a person peered into the starry distances, the more rapidly the development of human civilization proceeded.
Answer the questions and complete the tasks:
1. Remember the names of the months well: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December. These names came to us from Ancient Rome, people in different countries have been using them for more than two thousand years.
2. It has long been noticed that not all stars are equally well visible in different weather. It turned out that through a haze or faint fog, the light of stars with a yellowish or reddish color is best seen. Such stars were called navigation stars. In the old days, navigators and travelers were guided by them. Take a closer look at the traffic lights. Why are they using green, yellow and red? (Because these colors are better than others visible even in cloudy weather. But in Space there are no green stars)
3. Carefully observe the movement of the hands on the clock. All watches have hands moving in the same direction, this direction of movement is called "clockwise". Draw a seven-flowered flower and paint all the petals in different colors: the first is red, the second, clockwise, is orange, the third is yellow, the fourth is green, the fifth is blue, the sixth is blue, and the seventh is purple. Now name these colors in a different direction - counterclockwise.
Guess the riddles:
Seven brothers in succession
Going home.
As the last one comes in,
So it is for the first turn.
(Days of the week)
He comes into the house on New Years
And the joy of the holiday brings.
He opens the calendar
And it is called ...
(January)
Two arrows hang like a mustache
They are not at all for beauty,
Day and night they go
And you look - it's right there again.
(Watch)
A FAIRY TALE IS A LIE, YES IN IT IS A HINT
Children love fairy tales. The magic and fantasy of authors and storytellers transform real events and characters into fairytale heroes who experience amazing and exciting adventures.
Fairy tales teach children how to behave in different situations, explain what is happening in the world around them. But there are other fairy tales, they preserved ancient ideas about the stars, the sun and other celestial bodies. Such tales symbolically described the structure of the Universe to make it easier to remember the names and locations of the stars, the patterns of their appearance in the firmament. Indeed, in the old days there were very few literate people who could read the records made in books by astrologers and priests.
The ancient shepherds looked at the sky for a long time, at the movement of the Sun and stars, and they had the impression that all celestial bodies were moving along the crystal dome of the sky, on which someone had strengthened the luminaries. We now know that this is not the case.
The ancient Slavs, for example, explained the appearance of our world, divided into earthly and heavenly firmaments, by the fact that the Mouse waved its tail and broke the golden egg, which was carried by the Heavenly Bird - Ryaba Chicken. From one half of the egg, land and seas appeared, and from the second, the sky and the sun.
Ancient observers understood that the Sun is the main heavenly hero, that the life of everything on Earth depends on its warmth and light. And it was the Sun that turned into a brave traveler who fell into different stories, performed feats, communicated with other inhabitants of the upper, heavenly world.
When, with the onset of cold weather, the Sun appeared less and less in the sky, it seemed that it was dying. But in the spring it was warm, the Sun again rolled out into the firmament and gave people life, light and strength.
The peoples who inhabited our lands in ancient times invented a fairy tale about Kolobok. After all, the change of seasons could be predicted by which constellation appeared in the sky after sunset, in other words, by the repeated movement of the Sun along the zodiacal constellations from year to year. The Adventures of Kolobok is the story of how Grandfather and Baba baked a hot Kolobok-Sun and put it on a heavenly window. And he, ruddy side, galloped down the path and rolled the Kolobok along the heavenly path - the Milky Way.
On his journey, Kolobok-Sun meets different forest dwellers: Hare, Bear, Wolf and Fox. These are the names of the constellations that were invented in ancient times by the inhabitants who inhabited our lands. After all, there are no Sagittarius, no Capricorns, no Scorpions in our latitudes. But hares, wolves and foxes were found in abundance.
Kolobok-Sun has sunk to the autumn constellation of the Fox. It had already cooled down by this time and Lisa was able to put Kolobok on her nose.
The Fox Gingerbread Man-Sun ate, and the cold came, the winter came.
Grandfather and Baba missed the warmth, baked a new Kolobok and a hot, ruddy spring Sun rolled into the sky.
And the fairy tale "Mitten" you know describes a succession of years, and each year is dedicated to some kind of animal: the frog-frog, hare-runner, mouse-norushka and others. This is very reminiscent of the eastern legend about the animals that Buddha summoned to him. Later, he gave each of the twelve animals their own year. And now we know about the year of the Cat, the year of the Horse, the year of the Dragon and some others.
Many peoples composed and told their tales and legends about the sky and the stars. So, from grandfather to grandson, from grandmother to grandchildren in front of the hearth, on long evenings, stories about the surrounding earthly world and the world of heavenly bodies were transmitted in very distant antiquity.
Answer the questions and complete the tasks:
1. Draw the meeting of Kolobok-Sun with the characters of the fairy tale. What other animals do you think Kolobok could meet? Draw them.
2. The Greek names for most of the constellations: Aquarius, Capricorn, Gemini and many others, are associated with the myths and legends of Ancient Greece. Ask your mom to read these legends to you.
3. The sun, moon and planets, moving across the sky of the northern hemisphere of the Earth, can never be either in the constellation Ursa Major, or in the constellation Cassiopeia. From year to year, the movement of these luminaries occurs along the same constellations - the belt of the Zodiac. There are only thirteen zodiac constellations: Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Ophiuchus, Capricorn, Aquarius. Learn these names well.
They are often confused with the "zodiac signs" invented by astrologers to draw up horoscopes. Signs, in contrast to the constellations, 12. Zodiacal constellations and zodiacal signs are not connected by anything except names.
Guess the riddles:
Close the window in front of him,
But you still can't stop it.
(Daylight)
From a magic basket
Peas were poured in plenty.
And how it began to dawn -
There is nothing to collect.
(Stars)
Stretched over the ground
The miracle dome is blue
By nightfall, the dome darkened
And the next morning, he glowed.
Astronomy- the oldest science of the Universe, the subject of which is space objects, as well as the processes and phenomena associated with them.
Since the first manned flight into space, the main children's answer to the question "What do you want to become?" was the answer "Astronaut!"
People's interest in space will never fade away, it beckons us with its secrets and universal scale. Looking at the starry sky, people have always asked the main questions.
Today, in the days of space rockets, satellites and moon rovers, we have a lot to tell our children.
However, the scale of the universe is difficult to imagine even for an adult.
It remains to figure out how interesting it is to tell the child about space and introduce him to the first basics of astronomy.
How to tell
Taking into account the peculiarities of childhood, it is very important to make the story simple and effective. For this, you can use visual experiments, we describe an example of such experiments below. So, it will be much easier for the child to get acquainted with the thematic concepts that are not easy for him.
Today, parents are offered a large number of thematic materials that can also be used in their story.
Preschool children perfectly assimilate information presented in a playful form, in the form of a fairy tale or a poem.
And if you manage to surprise and enchant the child's imagination, perhaps the child will not only be interested in astronomy, but also fall in love with this science.
When telling your child about space for the first time, think about what it might be, as an adult, looking at the stars, he will remember your activities and smile.
What to tell
Introduction
Look at the sky. It seems that it is very close - reach out and touch the sun or moon, but if you climb on top of a tall tree, you will find yourself next to them altogether. But actually it is not. Neither we can reach the sky with our hand, nor the trees with our tops. The sun, moon and stars are very far from us. These are large planets that you need to fly to in a spaceship.
There are 8 planets in the solar system. They all revolve around the Sun, and constantly along the same path, which is called the orbit. And one of these planets is our Earth.
What to tell:
The sun is a large and very hot planet - it is a star - a huge, incandescent ball. It is very far away, but the heat from its rays reaches all the planets circling around it, and ours too. That is why it is warm here.
Not all stars are like the sun. There are small stars, medium and huge ones - larger than the Sun.
The brightest of all the stars in the sky are the Pole Star and Sirius.
The sun is much larger than our planet. If you compare them, then it is like a watermelon and a small pea.
Visual material:
To compare the size of the Sun with the size of the Earth, you can take a pumpkin or a watermelon and a pea. A pea is our Earth, a pumpkin is the Sun.
The earth is as much smaller than the sun as a pea is smaller than a pumpkin.
moon
What to tell:
The moon is a satellite of our planet, it is only three days away.
The moon moves counterclockwise around the earth.
We only see the moon at night. The moon, as we see it in the sky, is not always the same shape. There are the following phases of the moon: new moon, crescent of the growing moon, the first quarter of the growing moon, growing moon, full moon, and then decreasing: the waning moon, quarter of the waning moon, crescent of the waning moon, new moon again.
If the sickle in the sky looks like the letter C, then the moon is "old", waning. If we visually draw a stick and get the letter P, then the moon is growing.
These phases can be depicted for a child on paper or by cutting them out of colored cardboard.
Visual material:
To demonstrate why the moon is sometimes round, sometimes crescent-shaped, take a regular table lamp and ball. Experiment together by creating a moon at home. Show your child that we see only the illuminated part of the ball.
our planet
What to tell:
Our planet - planet Earth - is surrounded by an atmosphere. It is such a protective layer that rescues the inhabitants from solar ultraviolet radiation, as well as from most meteorites. It can be compared to an airy blanket. It is thanks to him that there is air on our planet that we breathe.
The most important difference between our planet and others is the presence of life on it.
It is believed that the rest of the space is lifeless. The belief and desire of people to find life on other planets makes us design spaceships for travel to space, in order to study it.
Visual material:
You can boil a chicken egg and, using his example, explain to the child what the Earth's atmosphere is. Our planet is surrounded by a multi-layered atmosphere, just as in an egg the yolk is surrounded by protein.
Other planets of the solar system
What to tell:
There are only 8 planets in the solar system.
The largest of these is Jupiter. And the most interesting is Saturn, because it has huge rings around it.
Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune also have rings, but they cannot be seen from Earth.
Pluto was one of the last to be discovered. At first it was considered It was discovered in 1930 by the ninth planet. But, over time, it was attributed to another category of cosmic bodies, "dwarf planets".
The planet is considered to be space bodies that:
- revolve around some star (in the case of the solar system, this is the sun);
- have their own gravity, which explains their spherical (round) or close to spherical shape;
- are not near other similar large bodies;
- are not a star.
Visual material:
To memorize the names of all the planets in the solar system, you can learn a little rhyme:
All planets in order
Any of us will call:
One is Mercury,
Two is Venus,
Three is the Earth,
Four - Mars.
Five is Jupiter
Six - Saturn,
Seven - Uranus,
Behind him is Neptune.
He is eighth in a row.
And after him already, then,
And the ninth planet
Called Pluto.
Stars
What to tell:
The closest star to us is the sun.
There are countless stars in space.
Any star is an incandescent ball of gas formed from hydrogen molecules fused together.
A cluster of stars forms constellations.
Visual material:
To tell why the sun is shining so brightly, take a regular flashlight or phosphor stars. With the lights off, bring them close to your baby so that he can see how brightly they burn.
Then slowly move to the end of the room, demonstrating that the luminous objects, moving away, become small and faded. Explain that the stars only appear small because they are so far away from us.
Telescopes help us to get a closer look, which bring images of stars closer and allow us to better see them.
How the rocket flies
What to tell:
On April 12, our country celebrates Cosmonautics Day. On this day in 1961, our people's dream of flying into space came true - the first cosmonaut in history, Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin, flew into space on the Vostok-1 spacecraft. Its flight around the Earth lasted 108 minutes. Since then, every year we celebrate Cosmonautics Day on this day.
Visual material:
Inflate the balloon and pinch the hole with your fingers. And then unclench your fingers and your ball will suddenly burst upward. This is because air is exiting the balloon. And when the air runs out, the ball will fall. The balloon flew like a rocket - it moved forward as long as there was air in it.
Approximately in the same way the rocket flies into space, only instead of air it has fuel. When burning, the fuel turns into gas and is blown back in a flame.
The rocket is made of several parts, which are called stages, and each stage has its own fuel tank.
In the first stage, the fuel has run out - it disappears and the second stage engine immediately turns on and carries the rocket even faster and even higher. Thus, only the third stage reaches space - the smallest and easiest one. She also puts a cabin with an astronaut into orbit.
Related games
1. The game "What will we take with us into space"
Lay out the drawings in front of the child and offer to choose what you can take with you on the spaceship.
It can be the following pictures-pictures: a book, a notebook, a spacesuit, an apple, a candy, a tube of semolina, an alarm clock, a sausage.
2. Game "Space vocabulary"
The game will help the child expand his vocabulary with words related to the topic of space.
Whoever calls more words related to space won.
For example: satellite, rocket, alien, planets, moon, earth, astronaut, space suit, etc.
3. The game "Say the opposite"
The goal of the game is to teach the child to choose words with the opposite meaning - antonyms.
For example:
Distant - ...
close - ...
big -…
get up -…
bright -…
fly away - ...
high -…
known -…
include -…
dark - ...
4. The game "Orienting by the stars"
Imagine with your child that you are sailors lost in the Pacific Ocean. Ask your child to cut out small stars out of paper and help glue them on the back of the countertop so that you get the constellations Ursa Minor and Ursa Major.
Cover the table with a bedspread - this will be your ship, take a flashlight and climb in there. It is night now, the only compass has sunk, and all you see are the stars above your heads (they can be illuminated with a flashlight).
Show your child how to use the stars to find their way.
Try together, looking at the stars, to determine which way to sail if you are heading east.
5. The game "Space stones"
Each kitchen has a baking foil. Such material can easily turn into space balls-stones.
Scatter them in prominent places so that the child can then collect these space stones. Then they can be thrown at a target or simply at a bowl, training accuracy.
Books for children on the topic
1. "Amazing starry sky. Atlas with stickers", S. Andreev.
2. "Opening Up Space" by Morton Jenkins.
3. "The Astrocat Professor and His Journey into Space" by Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman.
4. "Cosmos", D. Kostyukov, Z. Surova.
5. "Fascinating astronomy", E. Kachur.
6. Series "Your first encyclopedia", book "Wonderful planet", publishing house "Makhaon".
7. Series "The very first encyclopedia", book "Planet Earth", publishing house "Rosman".
8. "My first book about space", K. Portsevsky, M. Lukyanov.
9. "Stars and planets. An encyclopedia for children", E. Prati.
10. "Unusual adventures of Petya in space", A. Ivanov, V. Merzlenko.
Cartoons on the topic
1. The cycle of cartoons "Children and Space"
2. Educational cartoon "Planet Earth"
3. Entertaining lessons of Sahakayants "Astronomy for the little ones"
4. "The Mystery of the Third Planet"
5. "Dunno on the Moon"
7. "Pepa Pig", "Journey to the Moon" series
8. "Star Dogs: Squirrel and Arrow"
9. "Belka and Strelka: Lunar Adventures"
10. "Egon and Donchi"
11. "Christopher Kullambus' Lunar Expedition"
12. "Tom and Jerry: Flight to Mars"
13. "The Mystery of the Red Planet"
14. "Planet 51"
15. "Big Space Adventure"
16. "Planet of the wind"
17. "Fly to the Moon"
18. "Valley"
19. "Treasure Planet"
20. "Smeshariki: pin-code collection"
Training material on the topic
- Magazine "School of 7 Dwarfs - 4+: For Kids about the Stars and Planets";
- The World Around Us magazine, No. 1,5,7;
- Solar system map;
- Thematic cards;
Space crafts for kids
1. A rocket with a photograph of your child astronaut.
Looking for: a photograph of your baby, colored cardboard or paper.
2. A rocket from a plastic bottle.
Looking for: plastic bottle, sock, cardboard, foil and thread.
3. Spotlight of the constellations.
Looking for: a flashlight, circles cut out to the diameter of the flashlight with holes made in the form of a constellation, paper cupcake molds, a string.
4. Sensory space box.
Looking for: a clear plastic box, lentils, black beans, decorative glass beads, shiny sequins, space toys, small lanterns.
5. A suit of a space robot.
Looking for: large cardboard box, scotch tape, old wires, foil, stickers, markers, fantasy.
Where to look at the stars in Moscow
1. Observatories
Observatory- a specialized scientific structure and / or institution used to observe terrestrial and / or astronomical phenomena.
In some observatories, observations are made only when the weather is clear.
The opening hours of the observatories should be checked with the institution, please note that some observatories are open only 2 summer months a year, others from May to September.
Moscow City Palace of Children's and Youth Creativity
M. University, st. Kosygina, 17, bldg. 1
Price: free.
Astronomical Observatory of Moscow State University(State Astronomical Institute named after P.K.Sternberg at Moscow State University)
Moscow, Universitetsky prospect, 13
Price: free.
Observatory at the Moscow Planetarium
M. Barrikadnaya, Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya, 5, bldg. 1
Price: 250 rubles on weekdays, 300 rubles on weekends.
National Observatory on the territory of Gorky Park
M. Gorky Park, Oktyabrskaya.
Price: 200 rub.
People's Observatory on the territory of Sokolniki Park
M. Sokolniki, park territory
Price: 150 rub.
From Thursday to Sunday you can rent a portable telescope for 50 rubles.
2. Planetariums
Planetarium - scientific and educational institution, which demonstrates the celestial sphere with stars, planets and satellites, comets and meteors; as well as phenomena associated with celestial bodies.
Moscow planetarium
Moscow, Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya st., 5, building 1
Price: from 100 rubles.
Planetarium of the Central House of the Russian Army
Moscow, Suvorovskaya square, 2, building 32
Price: 200 rub.
Planetarium of the Cultural Center of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
Moscow, Suvorovskaya square, 2, bldg. 32.
Price: 200 rub.
Olga Shibka
About edition
Olga Shibka
Entertaining astronomy for children
FROM THE DEPTH OF AGES
WHAT ASTRONOMY STUDIES
Astronomy is the science that studies everything in the universe. New information about the Universe is obtained, including during astronomical observations.
Astronomical observations are carried out in observatories. An observatory is a special place or structure where devices are installed, with the help of which scientists study stars, planets and other cosmic bodies. The word "observatory" is translated from English as "observation". Astronomers work in observatories - they are scientists who study the Universe and its laws. The common part in the words "astronomy", "astronomer" - "astro", translated into Russian means a star.
One of the oldest human-built observatories is Stonehenge, located in England. The huge boulders of Stonehenge are stacked so that it is possible to accurately observe the movement of the Sun during the spring and autumn equinoxes.
The ancient inhabitants of Babylon, Egypt and Central America used pyramids as observatories. Their bases are oriented to the cardinal points. Astronomical observations in the ancient world were carried out in order to find out more precisely the time of the beginning of spring or winter. Based on astronomical observations, the priests compiled calendars. Ancient navigators could determine their location using astronomical observations.
In the Middle Ages, in all countries of the world, the observatory was considered a sign of the education and wealth of the royal court. The most famous astronomers of the Middle Ages worked in the service of khans, dukes and kings.
Astronomers observe celestial bodies using a special instrument called a telescope. This word comes from the Greek words for "far away" and "looking."
The telescope enlarges the image of a distant planet, as if bringing it closer to the eye of an astronomer. The first telescope was built by the Italian Galileo Galilei 400 years ago.
Astronomical observations are usually carried out at night. To conduct them, it is necessary that at a great distance around the observatory it is dark, for example, there are no lights of a large city. Then even very faint and distant celestial objects can be seen through a telescope.
Modern observatories are built high in the mountains, far from inhabited areas. Before building a new observatory, astronomers observe the astroclimate for a long time - this is the name for the combination of weather and climatic conditions suitable for the operation of the observatory. It is desirable that there are as many clear nights as possible in the selected area throughout the year.
Telescopes in observatories are housed in special houses. Sophisticated mechanisms controlled by computers allow even a large and heavy telescope to be easily pointed to any point in the sky.
The best pictures of the starry sky are obtained with those telescopes above which there is the thinnest layer of the Earth's air envelope - the atmosphere. Therefore, the observatory is also outside the atmosphere - these are automatic space stations. Such a telescope, of course, is no longer located in a house, but in a special spacecraft. Sometimes space observations are carried out by astronauts who work on the International Space Station.
Answer the questions and complete the tasks:
1. Why is it impossible to build an observatory in the very wilderness of a dark forest? (The branches of the trees will block the sky from the observer.)
2. What other words, besides the word telescope, do you know with a particle "tele-"? (telephone, TV, TV movie).
3. Draw a picture of a telescope house. Why can't a lantern be lit above the entrance to this house? (The lantern with its light will prevent astronomers from observing the stars, because the light of the stars is weaker than the light of the lantern.)
Guess the riddles:
There is a round house on a hill,
The light in it is not visible at night.
Behind a swarm of stars at midnight
The tireless eye follows.
(Observatory)
You can look into it without difficulty
Distant forest and cities
Planets, stars, heaven's edge
And many other miracles.
(Telescope)
The stars are all countless
The wise knows ...
(Astrologer)
HOW ASTRONOMY APPEARED
In our time, people have less and less opportunity to look closely at the firmament. There are fewer and fewer places on Earth where the bright light of night cities would not interfere with seeing the stars. And in ancient times, the heavenly bodies were as much a part of a person's daily life as domestic animals, as forests and fields. Indeed, in those days, the sky was for people and a calendar, and a compass, and a clock.
Olga Shibka
About edition
Olga Shibka
Entertaining astronomy for children
FROM THE DEPTH OF AGES
WHAT ASTRONOMY STUDIES
Astronomy is the science that studies everything in the universe. New information about the Universe is obtained, including during astronomical observations.
Astronomical observations are carried out in observatories. An observatory is a special place or structure where devices are installed, with the help of which scientists study stars, planets and other cosmic bodies. The word "observatory" is translated from English as "observation". Astronomers work in observatories - they are scientists who study the Universe and its laws. The common part in the words "astronomy", "astronomer" - "astro", translated into Russian means a star.
One of the oldest human-built observatories is Stonehenge, located in England. The huge boulders of Stonehenge are stacked so that it is possible to accurately observe the movement of the Sun during the spring and autumn equinoxes.
The ancient inhabitants of Babylon, Egypt and Central America used pyramids as observatories. Their bases are oriented to the cardinal points. Astronomical observations in the ancient world were carried out in order to find out more precisely the time of the beginning of spring or winter. Based on astronomical observations, the priests compiled calendars. Ancient navigators could determine their location using astronomical observations.
In the Middle Ages, in all countries of the world, the observatory was considered a sign of the education and wealth of the royal court. The most famous astronomers of the Middle Ages worked in the service of khans, dukes and kings.
Astronomers observe celestial bodies using a special instrument called a telescope. This word comes from the Greek words for "far away" and "looking."
The telescope enlarges the image of a distant planet, as if bringing it closer to the eye of an astronomer. The first telescope was built by the Italian Galileo Galilei 400 years ago.
Astronomical observations are usually carried out at night. To conduct them, it is necessary that at a great distance around the observatory it is dark, for example, there are no lights of a large city. Then even very faint and distant celestial objects can be seen through a telescope.
Modern observatories are built high in the mountains, far from inhabited areas. Before building a new observatory, astronomers observe the astroclimate for a long time - this is the name for the combination of weather and climatic conditions suitable for the operation of the observatory. It is desirable that there are as many clear nights as possible in the selected area throughout the year.
Telescopes in observatories are housed in special houses. Sophisticated mechanisms controlled by computers allow even a large and heavy telescope to be easily pointed to any point in the sky.
The best pictures of the starry sky are obtained with those telescopes above which there is the thinnest layer of the Earth's air envelope - the atmosphere. Therefore, the observatory is also outside the atmosphere - these are automatic space stations. Such a telescope, of course, is no longer located in a house, but in a special spacecraft. Sometimes space observations are carried out by astronauts who work on the International Space Station.
1. Why is it impossible to build an observatory in the very wilderness of a dark forest? (The branches of the trees will block the sky from the observer.)
2. What other words, besides the word telescope, do you know with a particle "tele-"? (telephone, TV, TV movie).
3. Draw a picture of a telescope house. Why can't a lantern be lit above the entrance to this house? (The lantern with its light will prevent astronomers from observing the stars, because the light of the stars is weaker than the light of the lantern.)
Guess the riddles:
There is a round house on a hill,
The light in it is not visible at night.
Behind a swarm of stars at midnight
The tireless eye follows.
(Observatory)
You can look into it without difficulty
Distant forest and cities
Planets, stars, heaven's edge
And many other miracles.
(Telescope)
The stars are all countless
The wise knows ...
(Astrologer)
HOW ASTRONOMY APPEARED
In our time, people have less and less opportunity to look closely at the firmament. There are fewer and fewer places on Earth where the bright light of night cities would not interfere with seeing the stars. And in ancient times, the heavenly bodies were as much a part of a person's daily life as domestic animals, as forests and fields. Indeed, in those days, the sky was for people and a calendar, and a compass, and a clock.
In different countries and at different times, people came to the same conclusion: in order to properly plan, for example, the time of sowing or the beginning of the hunt, you need to remember some signs that will help determine the right moment in time for this. These signs most often became the phases of the moon and the appearance of bright stars in the sky. Gradually, knowledge about how to measure time began to accumulate, and the first calendars appeared. The word "calendar" comes from the Latin word "calare" - to shout out. The movement of the luminaries in ancient Rome, as in other countries of the ancient world, was followed by priests. The high priest had to loudly shout the news of the arrival of the first day of each month.
In ancient Egypt, people's lives depended on the flooding of the Nile River. This river flooded the fields for several weeks, irrigating them and leaving silt on them, which fertilized the land well. It was noticed long ago that the waters of the Nile begin to arrive in the middle of summer, simultaneously with the appearance of the brightest star in the morning sky - Sirius from the constellation Canis Major. All work related to the cultivation of fields stopped and began a "vacation" - a time that later received its name from the Latin name of the star Sirius. The Romans called this star Canicula, which translates as "doggy".
And so it happened that the need to predict the change of seasons and the onset of seasons led to the birth of astronomical observations and the emergence of the science of astronomy.
Astrological priests not only compiled the first calendars, but also looked for ways to measure time in intervals shorter than a year. The beginning and end of the day were determined by the rising and setting of the sun. Although very soon it became clear that in summer and winter the day has a different duration. In winter, the Sun spends less time over the horizon and on December 21 or 22, the winter solstice comes - the longest night of the year happens. In summer, June 21 or 22, the night is the shortest, and the daylight hours are the longest, this is the summer solstice. Twice a year, September 21 or 22 and March 21 or 22, day and night have the same duration. Astronomers call these days the autumn and spring equinox. Many peoples in ancient times began the countdown of the days of the new year from the day of the vernal equinox. In Russia, Tsar Peter I canceled the tradition of celebrating the New Year on the day of the vernal equinox.
For a very long time, the passage of time was measured by the change of lunar phases. Gradually, people came up with the idea that the day can be divided into equal intervals of time - hours. The simplest instruments for measuring time appeared.
When the first travelers set out through the desert, it turned out that it was much easier to find the final destination of the journey if there were reliable landmarks. The first seafarers came to the same conclusion. Bright stars have become such landmarks. Ancient astronomers made the first maps of the starry sky, giving names to stars and constellations, putting them on celestial maps and describing their relative position.
Gradually it became clear that astronomy can provide answers to many questions of everyday life and solve many mysteries of the universe, can help a person determine his place in the Universe. The longer and more attentively a person peered into the starry distances, the more rapidly the development of human civilization proceeded.
Answer the questions and complete the tasks:
1. Remember the names of the months well: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December. These names came to us from Ancient Rome, people in different countries have been using them for more than two thousand years.
2. It has long been noticed that not all stars are equally well visible in different weather. It turned out that through a haze or faint fog, the light of stars with a yellowish or reddish color is best seen. Such stars were called navigation stars. In the old days, navigators and travelers were guided by them. Take a closer look at the traffic lights. Why are they using green, yellow and red? (Because these colors are better than others visible even in cloudy weather. But in Space there are no green stars)
Entertaining astronomy for children tells everything about the planets of the solar system, deep space objects, offering educational videos, online games, quizzes.
Don't know how to tell children about space so that they understand you? Can't intrigue your household members with the vastness of the Universe? Our portal will help you!
Explore the universe in a kid-friendly language and enjoy our free games, fun facts, fun quizzes, documentaries and more. The child will happily master new information, presented not only in the form of interesting facts, but also as a fascinating story.
Learn all about planets, satellites, stars, galaxies, asteroids, comets, telescopes and all kinds of astronomical objects. In addition to educational information on the page for all ages, there are also lesson plans, work programs for teachers, ideas for scientific projects and a whole shelf of online textbooks for everyone who is passionate about space.
Astronomy sections for children
But where do you start? In space, there are many planets, satellites, stars, systems and galaxies and other strange objects. We will start our review from the solar system, namely from the planets, and of course everything will be written in a language accessible to children. Take a look! The planets are painted in order with pictures and photos, so it will be interesting for children to get acquainted with neighboring worlds revolving around the Sun. Some were added with videos and cartoons, which in an accessible visual form reveal the documentary component of information. Space for children is becoming as clear and accessible as possible.
We leave the limits of the solar system and go on an entertaining journey through the vastness of outer space. On the way we will meet many strange and mysterious objects: galaxies, asteroids, comets, meteorites, black holes, nebulae, stars and quasars, each of which is provided with an entertaining story with facts and photos. Onward to Adventure:
We are glad that you are staying on our site for learning astronomy. We tried to make all the articles as interesting and understandable as possible so that every curious child can happily explore the beauty of our Universe. Here you can learn everything about the solar system and its planets, as well as get acquainted with amazing space objects and even step over the boundaries of the Milky Way galaxy. We believe that the "Astronomy for Kids" section will help you make this exciting and educational journey.
| Educational games |
Attention! For the applications to work properly, you need to use a computer, not a mobile phone. Interesting educational games for children are associated with astronomy with space, so children of all ages can not only enjoy the process, but also learn a lot about the planets of the solar system, space debris problems, and the force of gravity. The child is able to play online for free. Each game is provided with clear instructions. Educational games for children of all ages will be a wonderful addition to books and textbooks, and will also help pass the time usefully.
The science of the Universe is too vast, since it includes literally everything that exists: all varieties of celestial objects and formations, matter and other phenomena. Here are the answers to frequently asked questions about astronomy. This is useful for children, because it helps to understand the base in an accessible and understandable way, so that later they can proceed to more serious topics. It is also a help for parents who want to explain to their child how this world works in an accessible language. The answers are presented in the form of fascinating documentaries - cartoons for children.
Educational video about space in a language accessible to children:
How does the universe work?
A cartoon about dark matter, galaxy clusters and the future of the universe:
What's left of the Big Bang?
Cartoon about the relic radiation, the Big Bang and the expansion of the Universe:
Where did the chemical elements come from?
A cartoon about nucleosynthesis, the search for chemical elements and the composition of stars: